Peripheral frame for throw rug



Dec. 22, 1959 www V D. l.. DAwsoN PERIPHERAL FRAME FOR THROW RUG Filed Sept. 24, 1956 32 INVENToR.

a/vomynwfow United States Patent O PERIPHERAL FRAME FOR THROW RUG Dorothy L. Dawson, Berkley, Mich.

Application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,594

3 Claims. (Cl. 154-49) My invention relates generally to a means for retaining small throw rugs and carpets in place on a floor and more particularly to a new and improved frame capable of being secured to the periphery of a small rug for maintaining the same fiat and in place on the floor.

It is generally recognized that small rugs present a distinct safety hazard when used on oors over which people walk since they are prone to slip or to cause tripping when they double up or wrinkle. l am aware of various types of rug frames and other devices which are designed to retain small rugs in place and they are normally comprised of a multiple piece assembly of complex construction which has an undesirably large thickness. This causes the rug to wear rapidly and become prematurely threadbare at the regions where the rug comes in contact with the frame. Also, these conventional frames are bulky and diicult to handle during assembly and disassembly and they are usually incapable'of being adjusted to accommodate a variety of rug sizes.

According to a principal feature of my invention, I have provided a frame for small rugs which eliminates the safety hazard often associated with the use of such rugs while greatly adding to the convenience enjoyed by the housekeeper where such rugs are used.

The provision of a rug frame of the type above set forth being a principal object of my invention, it is a further object of my invention to provide a rug frame capable of maintaining a small rug or carpet in a flat position on the floor and which is characterized by a thickness of minimum dimension thereby reducing the possibility of accidents caused by tripping.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a new and improved rug frame of the type above set forth which is capable of being conveniently adjusted to accommodate a variety of rug sizes within predetermined limits.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a rug frame wherein provision is made for eliminating sliding in those instances when the rug is placed on a floor having a low friction surface.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a rug frame of the type above set forth which is capable of being economically manufactured by means of known manufacturing methods.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a rug frame which may be conveniently assembled and secured t'o a rug without the need for using special hand tools or fastening elements.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a rug frame which may be readily adapted to be used with any of a variety of rug types with a minimum of alteration in the rug being required to accommodate the frame.

Other objects and features of my invention will readily become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings.

In carrying forth the foregoing objects l have provided a rug frame which is substantially rectangular in shape, and l have fitted the same about the periphery of a throw rug which has secured about vits margin a flat tape made 2,918,397 Patented Dec. 22, 1959 2 of a suitable fabric, the inner margin of the tape being free to admit the frame while the outer margin thereof may be stitched or otherwise secured to the outer mar gin of the rug. j

The frame is comprised of an outer channel-like rnem-V ber in which the transverse dimension is considerably' greater than the thickness of the sides of the member.l A second member is positioned within the outer chan-A nel-like member and it may be adjusted to any of a variety of positions relative to the outer channel-like member; Means are provided for locking the outer channel-like member and the inner member in a fixed relative position at any desirable location depending upon the size of the rug with which the frame is to be used, said locking means including interlocking portions formed on each of the members. By preference, two identical outer channel-like members may be used at the opposed corners of the rug and two cooperating inner frame members may be located at the other opposed corners of the rug. Each of the inner and outer frame members comprisesa pair of perpendicularly disposed legs, the corner defined by each of the legs coinciding with the associated corner of the rug.

For the purpose of more particularly describing the principal features of my invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan assembly view showing a rectangular throw rug embodying the frame of my instant invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional sub-assembly view showing the mode of cooperation between the rug, the inner and outer frame members, and the lower tape which overlaps the frame about the periphery of the rug; Figure 2 is taken along section line 2--2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a section of the rug frame showing the inner and outer frame members in adjacent disassembled relationship;

Figure 4 is an assembly view showing a section of the rug frame illustrated in Figure 3, the inner and outer frame members shown in Figure 4 being situated in assembled relationship; and

Figure 5 is an exploded View showing the relationship between the constituent elements of the assembly.

Referring rst to Figure l, the rug and frame assembly is generally designated by numeral 1l) and it includes a fabric-type throw rug 12 substantially rectangular in shape, and a frame 14 situated about the periphery of the rug 10. The frame 14 is enveloped by a tape 16 which circles the periphery of the rug and which is stitched or otherwise secured about its outer margin to the cooperating outer margin of the: rug, the stitching being best seen in Figure 2 at 18. The inner margin of the frame may be left open, as illustrated in Figure 2, for the purpose of receiving the frame 14, the inner margin being illustrated by numeral 20. By preference, the under side of the tape 16 may be coated with a suitable rubberized material 22 to form a high friction surface to prevent sliding of the assembly on the floor during use.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the frame 14 `comprises a first outer channel-like member 24 comprising a base 26 and side portions 28 and 30. A series of projections 32 may be formed on the inner side of the channel side portions 28 and 30, as illustrated, and by preference they are formed with a substantially triangular cross section. The frame further includes an inner member 34 which may be formed with a thickness equal to the height of the frame side portions 28 and 30 previously mentioned. The inner frame member 34 may be formed with triangular-shaped recesses 36 at spaced intervals along each edge thereof, said recesses 36 being adapted to cooperate with the projections 32 on the outer channel member 24. As best seen in Figure 4, the inner member 34 may be received within the outer channel member 24 with the projections 32 mating with the recesses 36, the width of the member 34 being equal to the width of the base 26 of the outer channel member 24.

The inner and outer members '24 and 34 may be adjusted to any desired relative position merely by removing the member 34 from the position illustrated in Figure 4 and re-inserting the same at a new position with the projections 32 cooperating with different recesses 36.

As best seen in Figure 5, two outer channel-like members 24 are employed in end-to-end relationship as illustrated, each of the members 24 being comprised of a pair of perpendicularly disposed legs integrally joined at the vertex of the right angle defined thereby. Similarly, two inner frame members 34 are employed in juxtaposed endto-end relationship, each of the members 34 being comprised of a pair of integrally joined legs situated at right angles. When assembled, the inner frame members 34 are positioned so that the free ends of the legs of the outer channel member 24 are located relatively adjacent to the vertex of the right angle defined by the legs of the inner member 34. Conversely, the free ends of the inner members 34 are situated in relatively proximate relationship with respect to the vertex of the right angle defined by the legs of the outer channel member 24. It is thus apparent that when the inner frame member 34 is positioned within the outer channel member 24, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the combined structure will define a complete rectangle in which two opposed corners thereof are defined by the integrally joined legs of the inner member 34, and the other opposed corners of the rectangle are defined by the integrally joined legs of the outer channel member 24. The tape 16 previously referred to which reference to Figure 1 is illustrated in Figure 5 along with the rug 12 merely for the purpose of demonstrating the relative stacked relationship of the constituent portions of the assembly. It is emphasized, however, that the frame 14 which is comprised of the members 24 and 34 may be readily inserted under the tape 16 after the tape has been secured to the rug 12, and that it is not necessary to remove the tape when removal of the frame 14 is desired. This greatly facilitates cleaning and washing of the rug 12.

By preference, the frame members 24 and 34 may be formed by means of a conventional stamping operation although I contemplate that other known manufacturing techniques may also be readily employed if desired. Also I prefer to employ a relatively large number of projections 32 and recesses 36 in order to increase the number of positions to which the frame may be adjusted. According to one embodiment of my invention, I have formed the outer frame member 24 with 1/16 stock, the width of the base 26 being approyimately 1/2, and the total height of the side portions 28 and 30 being W16. According to the same embodiment, I have formed the inner member 34 with 1/s" flat wire stock, and the width thereof is approximately 34s".

Although vI have particularly described one preferred embodiment of my invention, I contemplate that variations therein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a rug retaining means for use with a small rug CTI having a tape secured to the periphery thereof, a frame, said tape being adapted to envelop said frame for holding the latter in position, said frame comprising a first flat, channel-shaped member having perpendicularly disposed portions, a second fiat elongated member received within said channel-shaped member and having perpendicularly disposed portions corresponding to the perpendicularly disposed portions of said first member, said first and second frame members being relatively adjustable in the direction of the axes thereof to` any of a plurality of positions, and means for locking said frame members together at any desired position, said locking means comprising a plurality of projections formed on one of said members and a plurality of recesses formed on the other of said members, the individual projections being receivable within the separate recesses thereby preventing relative axial movement of said members after assembly.

2. In a rug retaining means for use With a small rug having a tape secured to the periphery thereof, a frame, said tape being adapted to envelop said frame for holding the latter in position, said frame comprising a first flat, channel-shaped member and a second fiat elongated member received within said channel-shaped member, said first and second frame members being relatively adjustable in the direction of the axes thereof to any of a plurality of positions, and means for locking said frame members together at any desired position, said locking means comprising a plurality of projections formed on one of said members and a plurality of recesses formed on the other of said members, the individual projections being receivable within the separate recesses thereby preventing relative axial movement of said members after assembly, said first and second members comprising a pair of perpendicularly disposed legs which are integrally joined at the vertex of the right angle defined thereby, said second frame member being readily removable in a transverse direction from said first frame member.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said frame comprises two of said first members and two of said second members, said first and second members being disposed in relative juxtaposed relationship, said members defining a rectangular-shaped structure which may be adjusted to a shape similar to the shape of the rug with the legs of each of the first members respectively cooperating with the adjacent legs of the second niembers, the vertex of the right angle defined by each of said first members being located at separate diagonally opposed corners of said rug and the vertex of the right angle defined by said second members being located at the other diagonally opposed corners of said rug.

References Cited' in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,703 Van Dervoort June 25, 1895 971,511 Wolcott Sept. 27, 1910 1,007,301 McHenry Oct. 31, 1911 1,137,748 Forsyth May 4, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS 63,474 Netherlands June 15, 1949 34,258 Norway Feb. 27, 1922 Attesting icer Acting COmmSS'DIler 0f Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF vCORREUFIOPI Patent Nov` 21918v397 December 221i 1959 Dorothy Lo Dwson It is hereby certified that error appears in the-prinbed specification of 'the above numbered patent requiring correction and 'that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4V line 39V for the claim reference numeral '"4" read W 2 W0 Signed and seeded this 11th day of April 1961a (SEAL) Attest: R ERNEST W' SVYDE ARTHUR w., CEUCEEE 

1.IN A RUG RETAINING MEANS FOR USE WITH A SMALL RUG HAVING A TAPE SECURED TO THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, A FRAME, SAID TAPE BEING ADAPTED TO ENVELOPE SAID FRAME FOR HOLDING THE LATTER IN POSITION, SAID FRAME COMPRISING A FIRST FLAT, CHANNEL-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING PERPENDICULARLY DISPOSED PORTIONS, A SECOND FLAT ELONGATED MEMBER RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CHANNEL-SHAPED MEMBER AND HAVING PERPENDICULARLY DISPOSED PORTIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE PERPENDICULARLY DISPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND FRAME MEMBERS BEING RELATIVELY ADJUSTABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AXES THEREOF TO ANY OF A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID FRAME MEMBERS TOGETHER AT ANY DESIRED POSITION, SAID LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PROJECTIONS FORMED ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND A PLURALITY OF RECESS FORMED ON THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS, THE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTIONS BEING RECEIVABLE WITHIN THE SEPARATE RECESSES THEREBY PREVENTING RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBERS AFTER ASSEMBLY. 